A Photojournalist’s Field Guide: In the trenches with combat photographer Stacy Pearsall

A Promise to Protect and Serve

“Ethics has evolved to become a central issue for National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). Insistence on ethical conduct by photojournalists has become a major goal of NPPA, and this means we must promulgate a vibrant code of ethics.”

—NPPA Ethics Committee Chairman John Long

I became a member of the NPPA many moons ago at the urging of a mentor. Before becoming a member, I’d studied their ethics policies quite a bit. After joining, I began entering their photography competitions, reading their publications, using their educational tools, and attending their workshops. I’m now an NPPA mentor, and I teach their ethics policies to many of my students at the Charleston Center for Photography, among other educational ...